Let’s operate for a moment under the assumption that the primary purpose of law enforcement is to keep communities safe. What would make you feel less safe: a person who travels about an hour to purchase weed from a neighboring state where it’s legal, or a police force that uses a multi-state network of cameras to track and record that person’s behavior to coordinate his arrest for possession of weed? According to a report from 404 Media, the Brown County Sheriff’s Department in Wisconsin used Flock cameras, which record the license plates of every vehicle that passes by them, to identify and arrest a resident of Wisconsin for purchasing marijuana. Per the report, the cops used Flock’s network of cameras to track the man as he drove from Wisconsin, where possession remains a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine for a first offense, to Michigan, where recreational weed purchase and possession are legal. Per the report, the cops looked up his license plate and found that he “travels to Michigan frequently.” Of course, they couldn’t prove by the cameras alone that he was going to Michigan to buy weed. But apparently just going across state lines is enou
Aug 6, 2026 → Aug 17, 2026
Perhaps it’s the local summer diet of deep-fried cheese curds, corn on the cob, and Spotted Cow, but Wisconsin residents have been feeling pretty dyspeptic about Flock’s automated license plate cameras. Over the past few months, a spate of…
Read original at Ars Technica →2 updates from 2 sources over 11 days.
Perhaps it’s the local summer diet of deep-fried cheese curds, corn on the cob, and Spotted Cow, but Wisconsin residents have been feeling pretty dyspeptic about Flock’s automated license plate cameras. Over the past…
Read original at Ars Technica →Let’s operate for a moment under the assumption that the primary purpose of law enforcement is to keep communities safe. What would make you feel less safe: a person who travels about an hour to purchase weed from a…
Read original at Gizmodo →What this story stands on. Tier 0 is a primary record or the subject's own words; higher tiers must be attributed, never stated as bare fact.
Perhaps it’s the local summer diet of deep-fried cheese curds, corn on the cob, and Spotted Cow, but Wisconsin residents have been feeling pretty dyspeptic about Flock’s automated license plate cameras. Over the past few months, a spate of…
View source →Let’s operate for a moment under the assumption that the primary purpose of law enforcement is to keep communities safe. What would make you feel less safe: a person who travels about an hour to purchase weed from a neighboring state where…
View source →Tier key: T0 = Primary source · T1 = Wire · T2 = Outlet report · T3 = Commentary
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